The present invention relates generally to the field of identity security and more particularly to authentication of users with respect to financial transactions, emails and other electronic communications.
It is known that a user may have to provide personal information, in response to machine logic generated “challenge questions,” in order to help establish the user's identity (that is, be “authenticated”) for access to computer resources, such as access to computer-based financial transactions, emails and other electronic communications. For example, one popular challenge question is: “What is your mother's maiden name?”
“Geographic positioning systems” is hereby defined to mean any system that establishes the geographic location of a device using machine logic and wireless signals (now known or to be developed in the future); geographic positioning systems include positioning systems with a relatively local scope and positioning systems with a wider geographical scope. On known example of a geographic positioning system is called a Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS positioning is currently built into many personal computer devices, such as smart phone and GPS devices for use in motor vehicles.
US patent application 2015/0006399 discloses as follows: “An approach is provided to use social media content to verify the identity of a user. In the approach, a user authentication request pertaining to a user is received. In response, user questions and expected answers are retrieved from social media content that is accessible by the user. . . . Social media process, such as that performed by a social media website, collects dynamic social media content, such as comments, posts, tweets, multimedia, likes, requests, and other social media activities made by social media user community (e.g., by the user, the user's contacts, etc.). Activity data maintained by the social media site is stored in social media data store.” (reference numerals omitted to avoid reference numeral confusion)